Start from Wusheng

Chapter 1123 Expansion of Power
"The overall situation has been decided!"

The ninth-generation ancestor of the Zhou family looked calm and collected, smiling as he looked at the Tianzong sect opposite him, and asked, "Want to fight again?"

This Heavenly Master was invited by the Xiang family, not the Xiang family's patriarch. Although they had a relationship of mutual benefit, they were not to the point of being willing to die for each other.

Now that the Xiang family has been destroyed, he no longer wanted to fight, so it was best to withdraw as soon as possible.

"Old man Zhou, don't be so smug. I didn't lose this battle."

Tianzong said firmly, "The Xiang family has lost, but he has not lost yet."

A fierce glint flashed in the Ninth Ancestor's eyes. "Since you refuse to admit defeat, let's have another showdown."

Anyone with eyes to see can see that the Xiang family was wiped out and the Zhou family won a great victory in this battle, which has inadvertently affected the battle between the two Heavenly Sects.

The ninth-generation ancestor of the Zhou family was in high spirits, while the Tianzong invited by the Xiang family began to have second thoughts.

If the fight continues, the outcome is truly uncertain.

The ninth-generation ancestor of the Zhou family also did not want to fight anymore. If he could scare the other party away, he would not have to fight desperately, which was still within the acceptable range.

At the Heavenly Sect level, everyone has worldly attachments. Since the opponent isn't the ancestor of the Xiang family, there's no need to risk your life.

However, Tianzong's reputation was of utmost importance, and although both of them wanted to give up, neither was willing to back down.

For a time, the two remained locked in a stalemate in the sky, their confrontation continuing as time passed.

Both the capital and the capital were shocked by this great battle, because the Zhou and Xiang families involved were both first-rate aristocratic families, representing a clash between two camps: the royal family and the ancient aristocratic families.

They even mobilized the Heavenly Sect to fight, and there were also Earthly Sect governors like Qiankun.

On paper, the Xiang family held the advantage. In dealing with the Zhou family, which had split into two factions, the Xiang family had concentrated all its efforts on attacking the Eastern faction. They should have been able to sweep through the enemy's strongholds and achieve a great victory.

The outcome was utterly unexpected: Xiang Qiankun was killed in battle, the Xiang family was wiped out, and that wasn't all...

Zhou Daqian, a descendant of the Zhou clan in the west, profited from the Xiang family's wealth and population, and rushed to the governor's office in Qingchu Prefecture to eliminate all dissent and proclaim himself the new governor.

With the scepter and the cauldron in his hands, and the noble title bestowed upon him by the Jade Cauldron Command Arrow, he actually managed to accomplish this great feat of usurping someone else's place.

By the time everyone realized what had happened, the die was cast.

Qingchu Prefecture, one of the eight prefectures in Zhili, quickly switched from supporting the royal family to joining the ranks of the ancient people and their families.

The shock of this news quickly swept through the two prefectures of the capital, and spread to the rest of the directly governed prefectures, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.

"The Western branch of the Zhou family, with two governors from one family, actually managed to gain power amidst the chaos. Alas!"

"Zhou Nanwang is a highly regarded minister of the feudal lord. Why not send someone to Lihuo Prefecture to win him over? Maybe we can win over both father and son at once!"

"Like Huozhou, which is far from the frontier, it's not a big deal. But Qingchuzhou is a vital town in Zhili, and we absolutely cannot lose it!"

"If all else fails, the only option is to assassinate Zhou Daqian and then send one of our own in!"

"Who can kill Zhou Daqian? The strongest assassins in Dijing are all his allies now. Are we really asking the Heavenly Sect to condescend to assassinate him? Who would agree to such a shameful task?"

"Hard to say, have you heard about it recently...?"

Lian family.

When Lian Feihong met Zhou You again, Zhou You had already brought the entire Qingchu Prefecture to his side, causing a sensation. Of the eight prefectures in Zhili, four or five had clearly sided with the royal family, while the rest had ambiguous attitudes, making the situation extremely unfavorable for the Xianmin aristocratic families.

After all, the eight prefectures of Zhili were important strongholds surrounding the two capitals of Beijing, serving as both a protector and a strategic pass. Once the royal family controlled all the prefectures of Zhili, the ancestral families would be cut off from external aid and their routes would be severed, inevitably leading to their downfall.

Now that we have a complete Qingchu Prefecture in our hands, we can attack or defend as we please, and our confidence has greatly increased.

"How's the recapture going in the state? Do you need my help? Hmm, just let me know if you need any resources!"

Lian Feihong is paying more and more attention to Zhou You. This man is his right-hand man and cannot be regarded as a subordinate but as a partner with shares. Without him, Lian Feihong will definitely suffer a great loss and fall out of the first tier of candidates.

Those present were all important figures in Lian Feihong's camp, from the powerful families that supported him. However, these people, who were usually very important, had become mere background figures here.

Each person was respectful, showing no sign of being slighted or displeased.

Because today's protagonist is the newly appointed governor of Qingchu Prefecture, Zhou Daqian.

"Nothing much, but if anyone is dissatisfied, attack their city, wipe out their family, and execute all their leaders, whose heads will be paraded around the world."

Zhou You said in a calm tone, "At first, the resistance was quite fierce, but by the time I left, less than one in a hundred remained. They fled from the city to the wilderness and forests, barely clinging to life."

Behind these few simple words lies the bloody battles that have recently raged in Qingchu Prefecture, involving countless powerful families and sects.

Despite the royal family's attempts to reclaim lost territory, after Xiang Qiankun's death, no one could stand against Zhou You, who swept through the prefecture and city, and successfully seized power.

In Qingchu Prefecture today, everything is decided by Zhou You's word; whoever he chooses to pledge allegiance to, the entire prefecture follows unconditionally.

During this process, the power of the Zhou family's western branch expanded unprecedentedly. It had already grown stronger on the basis of the destruction of the Xiang family, and was further nourished by the vast territory of Qingchu Prefecture.

Over the next few decades, Zhou You planned to develop Qingchu Prefecture into the base of the Zhou family's western branch.

"Good, well done!"

Lian Feihong shouted and stepped forward to grab Zhou You's hands. "Daqian, we are like brothers. I won't bother with empty pleasantries. A mere governorship is something you can easily obtain."

"If I can achieve great things, I will grant you power and status ten or a hundred times greater than this."

Upon hearing this, the important figures around them exclaimed in surprise, yet at the same time felt it was only right; to win over someone like Zhou Daqian, one should spare no expense.

It's not just the ancient families; some members of the royal family have also publicly stated that if Zhou Daqian is willing to "abandon darkness and embrace light" and choose to return to the royal family, they are willing to offer unimaginably generous terms.

Well, to exaggerate a bit, if Zhou You wants to elevate the Zhou family to the level of 'Northern Xuanzhu', it's not impossible to negotiate some conditions.

Bei Xuanzhu, with the six northern states as his base, is equivalent to a local tyrant who controls a region.

This means that they were mentally prepared to cede at least five or six states to win over Zhou You. Of course, these would not be the eight directly governed states, but rather the more remote states, such as several states in the southeast.

This meeting, though seemingly ordinary, was actually a significant one, determining the cooperative attitude of both parties after Zhou You's change of status.

Lian Feihong made his stance clear and offered his bargaining chips, and Zhou You also expressed his unwavering support.

There was a minor incident during this time. Lian Feihong's intelligence channels received a message from the West that within the royal family, the faction opposing his recruitment, represented by the Eight Gentlemen, proposed hiring an assassin to kill Zhou You.

It is said that the assassins they hired at great cost were even more skilled veterans than the Unpredictable Assassins.

(End of this chapter)